OUR MISSION STATEMENT
At Johnston Heights Secondary School we are a caring and
respectful community of learners working together to
develop full potential in all.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms. The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love, and faith."
- Bertrand Russell
THE WEEK AHEAD
Wordsmith Competitions Week
Monday, Mar. 22 -34/12
School Reopens
World Water Day
Gr. 8 Rotation Change #2
Dept. Head Meeting @ 3:30 pm in 5 Raven Lane North
Tuesday, Mar. 23 - 341/12
Couns/Admin Meeting @ 9:30 am
Wednesday, Mar. 24 - 22/11
SST Meeting @ 11:30 am - Office Conference Room
New Teacher Study Group Series
Course Selection Verification forms distributed - Period 1
Thursday, Mar. 25 - 44/33
Student Satisfaction Surveys - Any Gr. 10's & 12's not yet surveyed
Student Representative Team Meeting @ 11:30 am
Friday, Mar. 26 - 34/12
Admin. Meeting
Newsletter Issued
This Week at Johnston Heights - Principal's Message
And now it is time for Spring Break! Over the past five days at Johnston Heights we have been busy. On Monday we completed the Course Selection process for Grade 10 students. In addition, teachers took time to complete Interim report cards and provide very helpful formative feedback for students. This early assessment provides students direction and support for increasing their learning and focussing their efforts. My thanks to all teachers for your time and expertise.
On Wednesday and Thursday a Counselling/Admin/Student team from Johnston Heights visited our Associate schools for Grade 7 course selection. This is a very important process, as it not only helps determine timetable needs for next year but it also provides the very first messages about Johnston Heights to our incoming students. My thanks to everyone on the team for your caring and positive messages about our school.
On Thursday afternoon and evening we enjoyed meeting with parents/guardians for Parent-Teacher interviews. Again, this year we decided to conduct the interviews in the teachers' professional classroom environment. This provides many benefits and helps promote meaningful dialogue. Great thanks to all of our Career Education students for being wonderful hallway tour guides and hosts for the parents. Your assistance was greatly appreciated by all. Thank you to all teachers for your helpful feedback to parents and a special thanks to all teachers who attended the evening session. I strongly believe that parents who are unavailable during the day are very grateful for the chance to meet with teachers in the evening.
Today is the last day of school before a very rare two week Spring Vacation. On behalf of Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Killawee and myself, we wish all staff, students and parents a happy and restful holiday. Enjoy time with family and friends. We will return on March 22nd to a very full agenda of learning as we move into the final phase of the school year.
Happy holidays!
--
COUNSELLORS' CORNER
Kids Help Line 1-800-668-6868. If you would like some Kids Help Line Cards, please ask a counsellor.
Johnston Heights Secondary School
2009/2010 Speakers List
Dates |
Speaker |
Audience/Grade Block
|
Venue |
Pending |
Tracey Hardman Drug Awareness |
Gr. 8’s HACE |
Classrooms |
Week of April 19 - 23
|
Earth Day
|
|
|
April 27 |
Internet Safety / Social Networking |
Gr. 9's @ 10:55 am, Period 2 |
Theatre |
May 20 pm |
Safeteen |
All Gr. 10's |
Classrooms |
May 11
|
ICBC Ted Swan BC Paramedic |
Gr. 12 Period 4 @ 10:57 am |
Theatre |
Friday, June 11
|
Etiquette |
Gr. 12 |
Theatre |
FYI
Christabel Netty: An update
(Christabel graduated from JH last June, 2009.)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mar. 29 - Staff Meeting
Mar. 30 - HPV - Gr. 9 Girls
Mar. 31 - SST Meeting @ 11:30 am - Conference Room
Apr. 1 - Gr. 12 Graduatioin Transitions Presentations
Apr. 2 - Good Friday (School Closed)
Apr. 5 - Easter Monday (School Closed)
Apr. 6 - Speech Fest
Apr. 7 - Euclid Math Contest
- SST Meeting @ 11:30 am - Conference Room
- PAC Meeting @ 7:00 pm - Library
- Speech Fest
Apr. 8 - Career Centre District Program Tour
- Speech Fest
Apr. 9 - Last day of Report Card #3
- Attendance entered by 3:15 pm
- Speech Fest
Apr. 12 - Dept. Head Meeting
Apr. 13 - Gr. 10 Mock Interview & Gr. 12 Graduation Transition Presentation Day
Apr. 14 - Report Card #3
- Marks Due @ 9:15 am
- SST Meeting @ 11:30 am - Conference Room
- Gr. 10 Mock Interview & Gr. 12 Graduation Transition Presentation Day
- Pink Shirt Day
April 15 - Gr. 12 Graduation Transition Presentations
Apr. 16 - District Program Applications Due
- Handwritten Attachment due in Office by 9:15 am
Apr. 19 - Gr. 8 Rotation Change #3
Apr. 19-22 - "My Earth, Your Earth, One Earth" Presentations - Theatre
Apr. 21 - SST Meeting @ 11:30 am - Conference Room
Apr. 22 - Earth Day
- Report Card #3 Issued
Apr. 26 - Staff Meeting
Apr. 27 - Gr. 9 Internet Safety Social / Social Networking @ 10:55 am, Period 2 - Theatre
Apr. 28 - SST Meeting @ 11:30 am - Conference Room
Apr. 29 - Jeans' Day
Apr. 30 - Newsletter Issued
OUR SCHOOL GOALS
1. By the end of the 2009/10 school year, we will reduce the percentage of students who fail one or more courses by 20%.
2. To further develop Johnston Heights' culture of caring and respect for learning through growth of students' personal and social responsibility.
Students Don't Play the Game
Jessica Towbin
Students who broadcast their disengagement from school are challenging—but they can also be a blessing in disguise.
Start where the kids are was a mantra in my teacher certification program. This imperative served my students and me well for the first 13 years of my career, when I taught in diverse but predominantly middle-class, suburban schools. But last year, after transferring to an urban school just south of Seattle, Washington, I gained a new and deeper understanding of what it means to start where the kids are—and why it's essential for effective teaching and learning.
In September 2008, I began teaching at Health Sciences and Human Services High School (HS3), one of three new autonomous themed schools on the campus of what had been a large comprehensive high school. I had been searching for a small school where I could pursue my passion for reform, and here was an opportunity to be part of establishing a school's identity, structures, and practices. I knew that my new school, where about 70 percent of the 350 students were eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, would also offer me new challenges in the classroom. But as an experienced, accomplished teacher, I believed that I was ready to take on those challenges.
Please see the Professional Literature Conference for the remainder of this article.
